ToolBank Disaster Services:

'Tools for Change' in Times of Crisis

When a natural disaster strikes in the United States, our citizens mobilize to support those in need, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles to lend a hand. The profound need within an affected community is often answered by the goodwill of Americans wanting to do good work. ToolBank Disaster Services offers a critical resource to bridge the gap between these two cresting waves: tools (inventory).

In collaboration with dozens of disaster response organizations and government offices, ToolBank USA spent nearly three years exploring the role of tools in disaster response and recovery. Disaster response professionals unequivocally reported that the lack of tools and equipment consistently bottlenecked their ability to engage volunteers. In response, ToolBank USA created ToolBank Disaster Services. The mobile unit, expediently delivered by UPS tractor and brimming with tools from DeWalt, Stanley, and Ames True Temper, eliminates the distance between a disaster event and the nearest ToolBank.

ToolBank Disaster Services became deployment-ready on Jan 1 2014, and lends tools to disaster management organizations that have been approved prior to deployment. Deployment occurs following the mobilization of partner organizations that operate on the front lines of disaster events. ToolBank Disaster Services will work in close collaboration with the ToolBank in the affected area where one exists, to provide additional surge capacity to their available inventory. ToolBank Disaster Services will deliver the same remarkable impact that traditional ToolBanks bring to their communities: ToolBanks empower organizations to engage more volunteers, increase volunteer impact, and reduce costs.